Leer



June 23, 1936. Y G Wl BATCH'ELL 2,045,259

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- 23., 1936. G..- W. BATCHELL 2,045,259

LEER

Filed April 24, 1933 3 sheets-sheet 2 amm e 23,1936. G, W, BATCHELL2,045,259

LEER

'Filed April 24, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 5' 3mm f Patented June 23, 1936UNITED srATEs mrsnr o-Frlce 5 Claims.

My invention has for its object to provide a heatingl means for leersfor glass', porcelain and similar ware, whereby all parts of the warewill be uniformly raised in temperature at a desired rate toy above therequired critical temperature and is then allowed to slowly reduce intemperature throughout all its parts following a desired gradient oftemperature until the temperature has reached a point that it may beexposed to atmospheric tempera-ture without affecting the temper orannealedI condition of the ware.

The invention particularly has for its object to maintainA thewarelocated in different parts of the: leer at desired temperatures and toeliminate convected currents of gas produced by the transmission of theheat fromthe gas within the furnace through the walls of the furnace tothe exterior, This producesa, downward movement of colder air in theregions of the walls of the leer which operates to chill thatA portionof the ware located in the vicinity of the walls, with the result thatthe ware-located on the conveyor in the center of the annealing chamberof the` leer is much hotter than the ware in the region of the Walls andwith the result that different portions of the ware are not heat treateduniformlyl and some of the ware is not annealed to the same degree thatother portions of the ware are annealed.

The invention also has for its object to direct the heated air or gaswithin the leer over the surfaces of the articles that are moved throughthe leer, as well as maintain a controlled economic heat distributionthroughout all parts of the leer, while producing the necessary rise oftemperature and a lslow descending annealing temperature as the wareisconveyed through the leer.

The invention provides meansy for `producing a rapid circulation of theair or gas or a mixture of air and gas over the surfaces ofthe articlesand prevents local circulation of heated gas or air as produced byconvective gas currents and thereby causing all the ware, located at anyparticular plane extending at right angles to its length, to have thesame temperature.

The invention may be used in connection with direct or indirect heatedleers and, to illustrate a practical application of the invention, Ihave selected two forms of leers as examples of struc* tures containingmy invention, it being understood that such structures may partake ofdiiferent forms and be modified in theirrdetails, The structuresselected are illustrated Vin the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is aside view of a leer that is indirectly (Cl. IB-47) heatedby-heated-airand the products of corn,-` bustion produced in the`heating'of the air. Fig. 2 is aview of a section of the leer-shown inFig. 1 taken on the plane of the line 2,-.2. Fig. 3 is a view.r of asection of the leer-shown inFig. 1r taken 5 on the planeof the line 3 3.Fig. 4 isa View of a longitudinal; vertical section of the forward endpart of the leer shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a View of a.y section taken,on the same plane` as, that shown in Fig. 4 through. the rear endV ofthe leer.` 10V Fig, 6 illustrates afmodified formof leer and4 whereinthe leer is;V heated by burners located within the chamber through whichthe warev is, conveyed. Fig. 'l is a View of a section taken on theplane of the line 1 1 indicated in Fig. 6, 15 Fig'. 8 shows thetemperature curve found clesirable for maintaining glass as'A itprogresses through the leer to effectively anneal the glass.

In the form of construction rshown in Figs. 1 to 5, the air is'` heatedand mixedwith the h ot 20 products of combustion exterior to theannealing chamber of the leer and is directed to and,V distributedthroughV vthe. annealing chamber of the leer at controlled rates. and inlocalities such as to maintain a desired temperature differential 25 to.cause a rapid rise and a gradual decrease in temperature as the vware isconveyed at a uniform rate through the annealing chamber of the leer.The walls l of the leer are formed of refractory heat insulatingmaterial, suitably supported and 30 bonded by a metal frame 2, in the,manner well known in leer structures. It is provided` with the usualconveyor belt 3 driven by a suitable motor means.' The belt,y as iscommon in con.- nection with such structures, is meshed'to' allow 35 thefree movement of air and gases throughrthe conveyor so as to permiteicientjtransmission of the heat of the air or gases or mixture o f airand gases to the ware, as it is conveyed by the con-A veyor. Theconveyor 3 extends over the apron 40 4, where the ware is .delivered tothe conveyor,- through the leer and then over the tableli where theWareis removed from the conveyQr. '.Pref-V erably; the belt returnsthrouglllthe leerto conserve the heat of the belt.

The leer shown in Figs. 1 to 51s indirectly heat? ed by one or moreburners 8 thIfQugh which a fuel gas is directed -into the chamber 9located above the leer. Preferably, the flame is baled by the baiiie IDto increase the area of heat transmission 50 and confine the current ofthe air within a re.' stricted chamber formed by the heated walls toincrease theamount Aof heat transmitted .to the air as it passes throughthe heater I2. The air and gases or mixture of air and' gases or thecir- 55 culated gas-it being understood that the word gas as usedhereinafter refers to air or combustion gases from the burners, or amixture of air and the products of combustion, unless otherwisespeciiied-enters the chamber 9 of the heater I2 through a passageway I3and is deflected by means of a baille wall I4 to the top of the chamber9 and so that it passes over the baille wall Ill which is heated by theflame I5. Within the chamber 9 it mixes with the products of coinbustionand gas from the flames and enters the blower I6.

The blower I6 has the usual rotor 29 that draws the gas from the chamber9. To reduce the proportionate quantity of combustion gas in the gas andair mixture and maintain a substantially constant quantity of gas incirculation, the outlet pipe of the blower may be connected to a stackthrough the pipe 2 I. The flow of the stack may be regulated by thedamper 22. The dampered opening will regulate the flow of the gas to thestack and remove a quantity of mixed combustion gas and air, preferablyproportionate to the quantity of air that is drawn from the outsideatmosphere thereby maintaining a reduced quantity of combustion gas inthe mixture that is circulated and prevent outflow of the gas from theleer.

The major portion of the gas from the blower is directed to a flue 21located in the forward end of the annealing chamber 28 of the leer. Theforward end of the flue 21 is located below that portion of the belt 3where the ware is raised to substantially its maximum temperature, thatis, above the critical annealing temperature of the ware. The flue 21extends laterally a width approximating that of the conveyor belt 3. Itis provided with openings 29 that extend the width of the flue 21 and soas to distribute the gas over the surfaces of the articles supported onthe conveyor belt 3. The effective areas of the openings are controlledby a plurality of dampers 39 that may be manipulated by means of handles3I lo-` cated on rods 32 that are connected to the dampers 30. Thus thedampers 30 may be adjusted as may be desired to regulate the quantity ofgas that is allowed to escape through each of the openings to bringabout the desired temperature differential at different points along theannealing chamber 28 of the leer and through which the ware isprogressively conveyed by means of the conveyor `belt 3.

The heated gas may be directed upwardly or downwardly, or crosswisediagonally or horizontally through the annealing chamber or the like, toprevent the formation of convected currents, and move continuously overthe surfaces of the ware. In the form of construction shown, the heatedgas is distributed over the entire area of the under side of theconveyor belt and by reason of their upward movement all local currentsof air, such as would be otherwise induced by convection, are prevented,causing all the ware to be raised progressively through the sametemperatures. In order to maintain the circulation over the surfaces ofthe ware, the gas is drawn into the flue 35 which also is provided withthe ports 36 that are Vcontrolled by the dampers 31. The flue 35 isconnected with the passageway I3 which is 'subject tothe draft caused bythe blower I6. The distribution of the gas, and consequently thetemperatures in different parts of the leer, is controlled by varyingthe effective area of each of the openings 36 `by adjustment of thedampers 31 which are connected to the handles 39 by means of the rods40.

is soon heated to a point above the critical point, such as to 900 or1000 Fahrenheit, according to the composition or material of the ware.

The ware is placed upon the conveyor belt 3 where the belt extends intothe apron 4 formed by a protruding portion of the lower part of the wallI of the leer and is conveyed through the opening 43 into the annealingchamber of the leer. n order to prevent loss of heat by escape of thehot gas from the leer, through the opening 43, a pressure slightly belowatmospheric is formed within the leer at the opening 43 which produces acontinuous inflow of air at the opening. e.:

This movement may be slight andI only suf- 43. cient to prevent theoutward movement of the hot gases from within the leer. The air,together with a small quantity of the hot gas, is

drawn through the passageway 44 formed beneath 'lieA amount of air thatis thus drawn into the heat# ing chamber 9 through the opening 43 may bethe hood 45 and into the chamber 9.

regulated by a suitable damper 45 which also regulates the pressuredifferential at the opening 43. The adjustment of the damper 22 willprovide for the removal of the combustion gas though mixed with air inproportion to the amount of air that enters through the openings 43. Thedraft through the pipe 2| to the stack Will compensate for the entranceof the air through the opening 43.

The major portion of the hot gas, directed to the ilue 21 through thepipe 5I! is, by regulation of the dampers 3Q, brought to the forward endof the the interior of the leer by the heat stored withinthe ware.Circulation of the gases is maintained in the rear end portion of theleer to prevent local convective movement of the gases produced by thechilling action of the walls. Some of the hotter gas from the forwardcirculating system may be drawn rearwardly into the gas circulatorysystem of the rear end of the leer. This is de pendent upon the relativepressures produced in the ends of the annealing chamber of the leer.

The rear end portion of the leer is provided with a blower that operatesto draw the gases from a chute 56 that extends over the conveyor belt 3and is provided with a plurality of openings 51 that are controlled bydampers 58 which are provided with handles, such as the handles 39, towhich they are connected by means of rods similar to the rods 40 andthus may be adjusted to produce the movement of the gas within the leerthrough the ware at a rate that will prevent the production of convectedcurrents of the gas. If desired, air may also be drawn into thecirculating gas from the atmosphere through the dampered opening 6Ilocated in the pipe 60 proportionate in amount of the combustion gasthat may be drawn by the operation of the blower 55 from the forward endof the leer. The amount drawn through the opening 6 I, however, will bevaried according to the amount of air that is drawn through the waredelivery open- The gas is thus circulated by the blower 29 through theheater I2 and the ware:

inigyat the rear endlof the leereLA 'I'helstack-1pipe- 2| is alsoconnected-Lto Vthe vdelivery'endoffthef blower- -and-the connection withthe stack-maybe damperedfbyfmeans` of the damper 62':

The gas-isdirected from thev blower 55'through' the-pipe itohthewchutefGli-'having av width ap'-,

proximating that of thewidthiofthe conveyor 3`t and having alength thatis somewhat-greater than one-third ther length of the leer. The chute-`l66 lisfprovided with the'openings =61 whose effec@-l tive areas arevmodified by means of-lthedampers 58L which-may be connected to rods;suchasv-the.

rods 40, and- `may be-operated byhandlesf such as Vthe handles-39,-located on the outside off'the The forced-circulation of thefgaswithintne chamber of the4 leer` prevents-convection ofgases cooledbythe--Wal-ls-and-thus producesl a uniform-degree-'of temperature in theware--as it is conveyed through the leerby the conveyor. When thetemperature ofthe ware decreases -to acertainpoint, it may be allowed torapidly descend whichwill be causedby the intakeof the airthroughwtheopening 1| rformed at the rear end Aofthe leer; The amount ofthe airthat is thus drawninto the rear end opening of the leer,will-be-dependent uponthe adjustment of the damper 12 fwith reference tothe damper 62,` and the relative-adjustments of thel dampers ontherearends of thel upper/and-lower rear chutes. This is alsor dependentupon theY adjustment of the dampers 3U and 31 to cause aforwardmovementoftheigas into the forward end of the leer. Thus the dampers 12"and 62 -provide means for drawing into'the leer the cooler air whichoperates to bring the temperature ofthe ware4 rapidly to such atemperature that the ware may be handled in Iremoving it from thedelivery frame 5.

In the forrncf construction illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7, the'leer isdirectly heated by burners located within the forward end of theannealing chamber of the leer. A'plurality of burners 15 are disposedunder the forward endof the conveyorybelt 3"and are located intermediatethe openings 16` formed in the-flue 11. Preferably, theeffective area ofeachk opening 16 is controlled by a pair vof dampers V11 -that arelocated contiguous to the burners 15. Each of the burners are providedwith a pluralityof jets or openings 18 directed towardsthe dampers11that are heated by the flames and, consequently, heat the air astheypass between the dampers. The dampers, when closed or when partiallyopened, extend upwardto .form V-shaped jets through which the gas passesand is heated by the llames. Preferably, a larger number of the burners15 are located per lineal foot of the chute 11 above the forward endportion of the chute to produce a rapid rise in temperature of the wareto above the required critical temperature of the ware that is to beannealed. The blower 80 operates in the same manner as the blower I6 inthe form of construction illustrated in Fig. 4 to reduce the pressure ofthe gas in front of the opening 43 to cause inward movement of the airat this point and prevent the escape of the gas heated by the ames ofthe burners. The blower 80 also operates to draw the air from the chute35 which is provided with openings 36 whose eiective areas arecontrolled by adjustment of the dampers 31. The air through the opening43 and the combustion gas from the forward end of the leer are drawninto the chamber 8| by the rotor 2l) which may be driven by a suitablesource o-f power. The outlet of the blower is connected to the stack bymeans of thepipe v2|iandthez-ilowfintothe pipe. 2 lfis regu-1 lated fbythe-damper 2271' as in' thel forml ofi construction `shown in Fig;- 4 toconvey away mixture` of'i'aifrll and? combustion .gas Yin. amount.'substantiallyk equal L to that. vof '-the airl supplied f throughVtlieopenin'g 43.?. The remaininggas-from the bloweris^directed tlufoughithe pipe"` 50 'to the chute 11 and the temperature of the gasisfraiseditfilipasses rtheburners -15. As the ware passes through ther-leer 19,:circulation is maintained by theblowerf55lwhich" is connected to thechutes 564'and. 665` as-described inA connection with the constructionillustratedinvFigs. 1 to 5, until the warelfmeets with -thefair that isdrawn through ther-openingsformed at the rearend'of the leer,Athelsurplus-gas being drawn into the stack through -thepipel- 2|-towliich the -delivery pipe- 55 of fthe blower-lis connected..

Asshown in'` Fig; 8, the temperature of thel ware is raised to nearly900 Fahrenheit, as indicatedat-90'g'- and asitpasses through the leer itgraduallyde'creases Yas indicated at 9|, and as it passes from above therear2 end oflthe chute 66- it rapidly declines, as indicated'at 92, tosuch a temperature that it maybe safelybrought in contact'withatmospherictemperature, such as indicatedl at 193, andis moved out overthe delivery ftable 5 at a point substantially'at 94.

Thus the invention affords a means for controllingthe leer. temperatureby first-raising the C10 temperature ofthe -gas tofsucha degree and atsuchLa-rate as'to cause the rise of the temperature of the Aware tothedesired temperature. The temperaturef'of the interior of the-leer ismaintainedbyfthe-heat of'theware and by' cirware,V a`v` connectorchamber,` a passageway for j connecting-'thesaidend of theleer with theconhector/chamber,I a-conductor passageway for conducting` air -andcombustion gasesfrom the A'connestor-chamber into 'the rear end -oftheheating zone, a fuel heater for heating air and gases circulated throughthe heating zone, a pressure means for producing a gas pressure'in theconductor passageway to force the gases to the rear end of the heatingzone, a stack pipe connected to the leer for removing a mixture of thecombustion gases and air from the circulated mixture of gas and air inan amount substantially equal to the amount of air drawn through the`said opening.

2. In a leer for annealing glassware, a leer Y chamber having a heatingzone, a conveyor belt for conveying ware through the leer, an upper ductlocated above the conveyor belt, and a lower duct located below theconveyor belt, the said ducts extending substantially throughout thelength of the heating zone, the upper duct having openings on theirlower sides and the lower duct having openings on their upper sides, theend of the leer having an opening for receiving ware,

a connector chamber, a passageway connecting the upper duct with theconnector chamber, a passageway for conducting air received through thesaid opening to the connector chamber, a passageway interconnecting thesaid passageways and having a damper for regulating the movement of airtherethrough, a conductor passageway for connecting the connectorchamber with the lower duct, a fuel burner for heating the circulatedair, a blower located in the conductor passageway for forcing air andproducts of combustion through the said conductor passageway, a stackpipe connected to the connector passageway on the delivery side of theblower, and a damper located in the stack pipe passageway for regulatingmovement of the gases from the connector chamber, the said dampersoperating to regulate the air flow from the exterior of the leer anddischarge of gases from the leer equal in amount to the air drawn fromthe exterior atmosphere.

3. In a leer for annealing glassware, a leer chamber having a heatingzone, a conveyor belt for conveying ware through the leer, an upper ductlocated above the conveyor belt and a lower duct located below theconveyor belt, the ducts extending substantially throughout the lengthof the heating zone and having openings in their sides adjacent theconveyor belt, the end of the leer having an opening for receiving ware,a connector chamber, a passageway for connecting the said end of theleer with the connector charnber, a second passageway for connecting theupper duct with the connector chamber, a fuel heater for heating theconnector chamber, a conductor passageway for conducting air andcombustion gases from the connector chamber into the lower duct in theheating zone, a blower located in the conductor passageway, and a stackpipe connected to the conductor passageway on the delivery side of theblower for removing a mixture of the combustion gases and air from theconductor passageway and air into the leer through the said opening.

4. In a leer for annealing glassware, a leer chamber having a heatingzone and a tempering zone, a conveyor belt for conveying ware throughthe leer, the forward end of the leer having an opening for receivingware, a connector chamber located above the forward end of the leer, apassageway for connecting the forward end of the leer with the connectorchamber, a fuel heater for heating the air and gases circulated throughthe heating zone, a conductor passageway for conducting air andcombustion gases from the connector chamber to the rear end of theheating zone, a pressure means in the conductor passageway for forcingair and gases to the rear end of the heating zone, a stack pipeconnected to the leer for removing a mixture of the combustion gases andair from the circulated mixture of gas and air in an amountsubstantially equal to the amount of air drawn through the opening, therear end of the leer having a ware delivering opening, a secondconductor passageway connecting the upper and lower sides of thetempering Zone of the leer, a pressure means located in the said secondconductor passageway for removing air and gases from the interior of thetempering Zone of the leer and drawing air through the said waredelivering opening.

5. In a leer for annealing glassware, a leer chamber having a heatingZone and a tempering zone, a conveyor belt for conveying ware throughthe leer, a plurality of upper ducts located above the conveyor belt anda plurality of lower ducts located below the conveyor belt, the saidducts extending substantially throughout the length of the said zones,the said ducts having openings on the sides adjacent the conveyor belt,the leer having openings for receiving and delivering ware, a connectorchamber, a passageway connecting the upper duct of the heating zone withthe connector chamber, a passageway connecting the ware receiving end ofthe leer with the connector chamber, a fuel heater for heating theconnector chamber, a conductor passageway connecting the connectorchamber with the lower duct in the heating zone, a pressure meanslocated in the conducting passageway for forcing air and combustionproducts into the said lower duct of the heating Zone, and a stack pipeconnected to the conductor passageway on the delivery side of the blowerfor removing a mixture of the combustion gases and air from theconductor passageway and drawing air into the ccnnector chamber throughthe ware receiving opening, a tempering zone, a second conductorpassageway interconnecting the upper and lower ducts of the temperingZone, a pressure means located in the said second conductor passagewayfor forcing air and gases to the lower duct of the tempering zone, and astack pipe connected to the said second conductor passageway on thedelivery side of the said pressure means and opy erative to draw airfrom the ware delivering opening into the tempering zone of the leer.

GEORGE W. BATCHELL.

